Construction works on the National Cathedral have been suspended. This is as a result of the unavailability of funds for the project to continue.
Executive Director of the National Cathedral Secretariat, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah who brought this to light revealed that his outfit is really cash-strapped and needs support.
“We have the contractors and their staff on site, but the work has been suspended. We are hoping that within the next couple of weeks, as part of our fundraising and other initiatives, we can begin work again,” he revealed.
Speaking at a meeting with the leadership of the Redeem Christian Church of God after donating to the National Cathedral, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah appealed to Christians to help fund the project.
“Our ability to complete this work keenly depends on Ghanaians supporting it. I refuse to believe that we can’t get a million Ghanaians out of the 21 million Christians to support this. I still have faith in the Ghanaians, and I am confident that we will do this.”
Government has pumped significant amounts of seed money into the project.
In March 2022, government released GH¢25 million to the National Cathedral Secretariat as additional seed money for the project.
The $450 million project was envisioned by the government in March 2017 as a physical embodiment of national unity, harmony, and spirituality.
“The money might be big in terms of volume but if indeed we have 21 million Christians and a million can give us ₵100 a month for a year, we can easily complete this in time”, Dr. Paul Opoku-Mensah added.
President Nana Dankwa Addo Akufo-Addo has said the cost of building the National Cathedral should be borne by the Christian community.
His comments came after the controversy surrounding the funding for the project.
The Member of Parliament for North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has accused the Minister of Finance of breaching laws of the country by withdrawing funds from the Consolidated Fund for the construction of the national cathedral.
He accused the Minister of engaging in the act without the required parliamentary approval.
Okudzeto Ablakwa in recent months has been on a crusade to expose what he calls the rot surrounding the national cathedral project.
Government is under pressure to abort its ambition for the National Cathedral project, given the country’s economic downturn and tough times being faced by the citizenry.
The National Cathedral is expected to be completed by March 2024.
The inter-denominational cathedral will have an auditorium capable of seating 5,000 people, as well as chapels and a baptistery.
Even before the National Cathedral project is completed, the government has announced a date for the commissioning.
